The amount of dolphins and other marine mammals killed in commercial tuna fishing expeditions has reduced drastically since the late 1950s due to recent efforts to reduce bycatch. However, the question that remains is: has help for the dolphins come to late?
According to an article by W. F. Perrin, B. Wursig, and J. G. M. Thewissen in the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, purse-seine fishing of tuna has been causing high mortality rates in marine mammals and other non-tuna marine life in the tropical Pacific since the late 1950s. Purse-seine fishing involves large nets used to catch and trap tuna but in the process of catching tuna, dolphins and other marine species are also caught, this is called bycatch. In some cases, dolphin pods are purposefully followed by fishermen because they know that where dolphins are tuna are also. The fishermen probably also know that this means they will catch and kill some dolphin along with the tuna. "The number of dolphins killed since the fishery began in the late 1950s is estimated to be over 6 million animals, the highest known for any fishery. For comparison, the total number of whales of all species killed during commercial whaling in the 20th century was about 2 million." To me, these numbers were shocking. In about 60 years dolphins were being slaughtered in triple the amount that whales were slaughtered in the entire 20th century.
The two species of dolphin most effected by the purse-seine fishing in the tropical Pacific are the North Eastern Offshore Spotted Dolphin and the Eastern Spinner Dolphin. As fishing practices have become more heavily mandated and citizens have become more aware of "the tuna-dolphin issue" the amount of dolphins killed from tuna fishing has dropped drastically and "dolphin safe" tuna is now for sale. So, it would seem like the problem is solved, right? Not quite. "As of 2002, northeastern spotted and eastern spinner dolphins were estimated to be at 19% and 29%, respectively, of population sizes when the fishery began...Since the early 1990s, reported dolphin mortality has been low enough that the dolphin populations should have started to recover. As of 2002, however, neither dolphin population was recovering at expected rates" This could be caused by many things including unreported kills or undetected stress caused to dolphins by the fishing practices. The issue that hits me the hardest is the possibility of "ghost nets" killing dolphins. A ghost net is a fishing net that has, for whatever reason, escaped into the ocean where its drifts free, as dolphins swim they can get caught in these nets. This video shows a dolphin trapped in a ghost net. As you watch this video, take notes of the large cuts on the dolphin's head, then imagine how salt water feels in them. This video brought me to tears.
How can the tuna industry carry on with their current fishing practices fully aware that ghost nets cause such pain and dolphin species still haven't rebounded from the extreme loss of life? Perhaps tuna industries should spend more of their time attempting to fix what they have broken than advertising their "dolphin safe" products. Obviosly, they aren't so safe when the very means by which tuna are caught still kill and injure about 1,000 dolphins each year. If 1,000 dolphins are still trapped each year, not including unreported deaths, then tuna companies are in no way, shape, or form worthy to call themselves dolphin safe. In junior high, when I first learned about the effects of tuna fishing on dolphins, I vowed that I would never again eat products containing tuna and I highly recommend that everyone join me in this fight.
http://swfsc.noaa.gov/textblock.aspx?Division=PRD&ParentMenuId=228&id=1408
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